"This law is a shield of the international authoritarian coalition from Western democracy"

The Georgian Parliament adopted in the first reading the draft law "On transparency of external influence". The opposition did not participate in the vote. According to information published on the website of the Parliament of Georgia, the third and final hearings on the "Russian law" will be held on May 17.

Large-scale protests against the law on foreign agents continue in the center of Tbilisi in front of the parliament building.

The bill has aggravated relations with European countries and the United States, which have spoken out against its adoption. Most international organizations, including high-ranking officials of the European Union, the Council of Europe, the United Nations, as well as representatives of the US State Department, Western leaders and international politicians opposed the adoption of this law. The only country that supports the Georgian leadership is Russia.

The United States stated that the adoption of the law "will take Georgia off the European path." U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters: "We are deeply concerned that the bill submitted to the Georgian Parliament will divert Georgia from the European path and harm civil society organizations that improve the lives of Georgian citizens. We urge the Georgian government to follow the aspirations of the European Union," Matthew Miller wrote in a post on the social network, the translation of which is distributed by the US Embassy in Georgia.

Despite all this, the Georgian government declares that it will not back down and will adopt the law. At a meeting with representatives of the diplomatic corps accredited in Georgia, the Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili said she would veto the law  “On Transparency of External Influence.”

The draft law "On Transparency of External Influence" requires that organizations receiving funds from abroad register as foreign agents. Those who did not register are supposed to be fined.

Georgian critics have called the bill a "Russian law," comparing it to a similar law that the Kremlin used to pressure opposition thought in Russia.

International affairs expert Elman Fattah tells ASTNA about the draft law and the current situation in Georgia.

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Question: The bill "On transparency of external influence", which is popularly called the law "On foreign agents" or "Russian law", has again caused protests in Georgia. Why does this bill irritates society?

Answer: Since 2003, Georgian society, having embarked on the path of democratization, has made great progress.  Free elections, which have been in force for more than 20 years, have expanded the circle of political players in Georgian society. In the realities of the emergence of various centers of power, this naturally limited the possibilities of authoritarianism of the central government.  In such a political configuration, the Georgian government seeks to increase its authoritarian capabilities, and society seeks to protect its freedoms. These two antagonistic interests give rise to the current protests in Georgia.

The reason why a particular bill annoys society, first of all, the draft is very generalized.  Let's assume that some structure receives 80% of the financing from foreign organizations for its activities on growing more productive grape varieties in Georgia. But according to the law, it will be forced to register as a foreign agent. When the interests of ordinary people are trampled by the protest of an active and vigilant Georgian society, the protests become so widespread.

Question: The ruling party insists on the adoption of this bill. Why does the ruling party persists so much despite the strong resistance of society? What preferences will this law give to the Georgian authorities?

 Answer: The Georgian government is not so much striving to acquire anything with the help of this bill, as to preserve the preferences achieved so far. As you know, Georgia has recently received the status of a candidate for membership in the European Union (EU). In this process, one of the EU's demands to the Georgian authorities is "de-oligarchization". This is a direct blow to the interests of the current head of the ruling party of Georgia, Ivanashvili. With this bill, the government aims to undermine the future of Georgia's relations with the EU, to demonstrate the will to resist depriving it of its capabilities.

Question: Why is this law called the "Russian law"? The opposite side puts forward the justification that such a bill was passed in 1938 in the United States, as well as at various times in many European countries.  But now the United States and the West condemn Georgia for this step. What is the reason?

Answer: This draft is, of course, a Russian law. The law with the same name adopted in the USA was specific. This law was passed against Hitler's Nazism and applied only to lobbying organizations, civil society and the media were outside the scope of this law. The Russian version of the law of the same name, on the contrary, provides for its application directly to civil society institutions and the media. In general, this law is the shield of the international authoritarian coalition against Western democracy.

Question: Can this step cut off Georgia, which is a candidate for the European Union, from the path towards integration with the West?

Answer: No. The Georgian authorities, Ivanashvili and his ruling party do not have sufficient resources for the complete authoritarization of Georgia. But Georgian society has sufficient resources to counteract the authoritarianism of the government. The winner of this process will once again be the Georgian society, which will eventually receive significant opportunities for Georgia's rapprochement with the EU. 

Question: The law on "foreign agents" has been adopted in Russia, Belarus, and Kyrgyzstan. And ultimately, processes related to the adoption of the law are underway in Georgia, i.e. in post-Soviet countries.  Will the authorities in Azerbaijan show interest in adopting such a bill?

Answer: Among the post-Soviet countries, Azerbaijan has a unique experience in managing unwritten laws. It has always been the case in our country that first the rules and regulations are tightened, and then the relevant laws are adopted in accordance with the current policy. For example, for many years in Azerbaijan, the sphere of activity of political parties, civil society, and the media was completely limited, and in the end reactionary laws corresponding to real politics were adopted in all three directions. The "foreign agent" approach is also a method widely used in state propaganda by the Azerbaijani authorities over the past 10 years, which law enforcement agencies apply to various structures and individuals in various forms. According to the charges of "grant smuggling" brought in the case of “AbzasMedia”, “Toplum TV”, the law on foreign agents is currently being applied in the most acute form in Azerbaijan. Referring to past experience, we can predict that if the government is confident of achieving what it wants, that is, it will be able to complete such a law in practice, it will eventually also adopt an agent law.